How to Care for a Saint Bernard

The secret to success with the Saint Bernard, as with any large dog, is early training. Teach it to obey as a puppy, and its large size will be quite manageable when it matures. Remember that the Saint Bernard is a family dog and does not like to be alone.

Difficulty:

Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Worming Medicine
• Dental Kits (for Dogs)
• Dog Beds
• Dog Brushes
• Dog Conditioner
• Dog Dishes
• Dog Flea/tick Control Medication
• Dog Food
• Dog Grooming Sprays
• Dog Leashes
• Dog Shampoo
• Dog Toys

1. Vaccinate your Saint Bernard and follow up with yearly booster vaccinations to maintain the dog's immunity to diseases. Worm your adult dog every three months, and consult your veterinarian about defleaing products.

2. Plan to feed your Saint Bernard 6 to 12 cups of food a day. Because the Saint Bernard is prone to bloat, remember to give it two or three small meals a day, as opposed to the normal one to two daily meals.

3. Give your Saint Bernard high-grade dog food. The first ingredient should be meat if you want a quality product. Crude protein should be no less than 30 percent, and crude fat no less than 20 percent. Also, the fiber content needs to be 4 percent or less.

4. Contact the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals to learn more about hip dysplasia

5. Train your Saint Bernard early in life to socialize with children, people and other pets. Although a loyal and obedient dog by nature, the Saint Bernard can be difficult to manage because of its size alone.

6. Take your Saint Bernard on daily walks, but keep it on a leash. Because of its size, a Saint Bernard can quickly become unmanageable if it so desires. Bear in mind that they are slow-moving.

7. Be careful not to overexercise your Saint Bernard puppy in its first two years of life, when its delicate bones are still forming.

8. Brush your Saint Bernard's coat with a firm-bristled brush, as needed. Bathe your dog as needed. Keep in mind that they do shed a lot, so the more often you brush, the easier it is to handle the large amounts of fur.

9. Trim nails every two to three weeks.

10. Clean your Saint Bernard's eyes frequently with a moist cotton-wool pad. Be sure to use a new one for each eye.

11. Understand the health problems that a Saint Bernard is prone to. These include wobbler syndrome (a spinal disorder), heart and skin problems, hip dysplasia (a malformed ball and socket in the hip joint) and extropion (folding eyelid).

12. Be prepared to enjoy a full 8 to 10 years with your Saint Bernard - this is the Saint Bernard's average life expectancy.

Tips & Warnings

• Saint Bernards rarely bark unless there is just cause.

• It takes a couple of years for a Saint Bernard to mature mentally.

• Note that a Saint Bernard will reach an impressive size. Males grow to heights of 27 inches and weigh between 110 and 180 pounds. Females will reach a height of at least 25 inches and also weigh between 110 and 180 pounds.

• Saint Bernards tend to drool a lot.

• Saint Bernards have little desire to mate, which may present a problem if you wish to breed yours.

• This breed does not do well in the heat.

• Watch your Saint Bernard around small children. Although it would never intentionally harm a child, a Saint Bernard could knock one over.